Sacrafice
by fluffykitty12
Summary: After masters and padawans are separated and Ferus is taken hostage and experimented on by Jenna Zan Arbor, can Anakin have the courage to survive and do what he must?


Chapter 1

"We've received some official reports of… disturbing criminal acts taking place on planet Xagobah." Mace Windu began. "The planet is covered in fungi, shrouded in the spores of the atmosphere. A breath mask as necessary and most beings rarely visit it, making it an easy place for crime,"

"Believe, Zan Arbor is there, we do." Yoda said quietly.

Anakin let the knowledge sink in. He, as well as almost any other padawan in the Jedi temple, had heard of the scientist bent on studying the force. She was known for draining the blood from her victims to study the midi-cholorian count.

Obi-wan felt his stomach clench at the name. Zan Arbor had studied Qui-gon, tormenting him in ruthless studies. Obi-wan knew he didn't want Anakin, incredibly force sensitive as he was, around Zan Arbor. He could tell the other masters in the room felt the same.

"To attack, we do not wish. Only to gather information. Then, plan, we will." Yoda said, as though trying to assure them.

Obi-wan nodded. Still, he felt uneasy.

Anakin seemed calm, he reminded himself. He would shield his padawan from the mad scientist as much as he possibly could, and protect him at all costs.

Mace Windu continued with the details. Zan Arbor would be their main target to gather information on, but other enemies of the Jedi were thought to be hiding on the planet too. Obi-wan tried to push away his growing unease at the thought of the mission. He was entirely capable of keeping his padawan safe, he knew. But he felt a forbidding he couldn't forget.

The meeting ended after what seemed eons. Anakin, and his fellow padawans, Ferus, Tru, and Darra, went off to prepare for the mission. Obi-wan ran a hand through his hair, a bit nervously. Anakin disliked Ferus immensely. This was clearly not going to be a smooth mission. Obi-wan saw Siri fall into step beside him. Ry-gual and Sorra did the same a moment later.

Sorra spoke first. "I don't like the idea of going to this planet with the padawans." They all nodded there agreement.

Siri sighed. "Yes, but it must be done. Besides, we must have faith in the force and our padawans."

Obi-wan shot Siri a surprised look. Rarely did his friend speak so formally. Siri replied to him with a quick grin.

"Come on, Obi-wan, don't worry so much." She said to her old friend.

Obi-wan shook his head. "I have a very, very bad feeling about this. You know how Arbor tortured Qui-Gon."

At the mention n of Obi-wan's former master, they were all silent. If a Jedi knight as strong as Qui-Gon Jinn could be captured by Zan Arbor and manipulated, then there padawans would be easy for her to pick off.

Sorra sighed with worry, and Obi-wan noticed Siri's brows knit together. Ry-gual spoke. "May the force be with us."

Chapter 2

Anakin stood on the wing of their transport, examining its gleaming surface. He checked the thrusters and grinned with satisfaction. "State of the art." He said happily. He force-jumped down to land beside his friend Tru, who was shaking his head and grinning.

"You know, this ship could really go a lot faster if I redirected the power from some useless things into the main sub-engine." He said. Tru looked at him quizzically. "What are the useless things?"

Anakin shrugged. "Oh, you know, lights and stuff."

Tru shook his head in disbelief. "I don't care how fast you can make it go. I don't want to be bumping into things."

Anakin flashed him a grin and nodded. "Fine, if you want to save your glow rod, then we'll go very, very slowly for you."

"Slow? Aw man, don't tell me we got the old gungan transport again!" Darra said.

Anakin shook his head and smiled. "No, we didn't. It's actually really nice. But it could go faster if I cut the power we normally use on lights to the sub-engines."

Darra shrugged. "What's wrong with that?" she asked, looking around the hangar.

"Nothing. It's just Tru is afraid of the dark." Anakin teased jokingly, looking over at Tru.

"Am not!" Tru said indignantly, with the same mock offense Anakin knew so well.

"I just don't want to be stuck in the dark for three days."

"Well, if Anakin can make it as fast as he says he can, you'd be there before you noticed." Darra said.

Anakin smiled appreciatively at her. "Thank you, Darra. And if I used the power on temperature control and life support systems, we'd be there before we could suffocate or freeze to death!" He joked.

Darra giggled. Tru rolled his eyes. "Great. And I suppose that we cut out plumbing as well?" he asked. "Go before, my friend. We'll be there before you know it!" Darra was outright laughing now, leaning against the wall and trying to contain it.

"Then, we cut out the other stuff, like shields and weapons, and we'd be there in twenty minutes flat." Anakin lied.

"Great." Tru said. "We get to be stuck in a freezing transport with a little bit of oxygen, no plumbing, no lights, and no shields or weapons, but at least we'll get there fast."

Anakin nodded. "Worth it, don't you think?" Tru rolled his eyes.

"What's worth it?" Ferus entered the hangar, utility belt polished, tunic spotless, and his dark hair with golden streaks glowing, as always.

"Investing in swampland." Anakin lied quickly. "I mean, what's a little malaria and angry Gungans?"

Ferus gave Anakin a look that was so confused and awkward Darra started to laugh again.

"What?" ferus asked.

"Padawans!" Siri called from across the hanger.

"Gotta go." Tru said, and he and Anakin raced across the hanger towards the transport.

Darra, who was still shaky from laughter, followed, with Ferus beside her. Ferus shook his head. "I wonder about Anakin sometimes.' He said quietly, and Darra began to giggle again.

Chapter 3

The transport took off seamlessly, with Ry-gual at the controls. Anakin settled in beside his friends, chatting and watching their progress on the nav computer.

Obi-wan shot his padawan a nervous glance as they reached the halfway point of their journey to Xagobah. Anakin met his gaze and nodded, showing Obi-wan he was alright.

But Obi-wan still felt that the darkness had something to do with his padawan.

"Two and a half hours until Xagobah" Siri announced.

"Approaching ship. No responding to any attempts at communication…" ry-gual said quietly. Just then, the ship was rocked by blaster bolts.

Darra staggered, and Anakin caught her before she fell.

"He hit the cannons. We're sitting ducks." Siri announced.

"Out run him." Sorra suggested.

Siri shook her head. "The hyper drive's damaged. It'll be a miracle unify we get out of here."

There shields were hammered with more fire.

The masters looked at one another and decided as one, in an instant.

Obi-wan pushed all the padawans into the escape hop, quickly closing the glass door.

"Master!"

Anakin called to him behind the glass. There was no time for the masters to escape. Obi-wan launched the pod, but as it receded, he still saw the image on Anakin's hand pressed against the glass, the concerned look in his eyes. And then they were gone, out into the cold space with a hostile ship near, alone.

Chapter 4

Obi-wan came on the comlink. "Get to Xagobah." He ordered. The signal cut out.

Anakin was already at the controls of the pod, diverting the power from lights and other functions to add speed to their pod.

He felt a pang at leaving his master behind in the ship, but knew Obi-wan wanted him here.

He pushed the pod to its limits, finally, and read off the coordinates they had been given.

"okay." He sighed. "We'll be there in two hours, about.'

Tru nodded. Darra and ferus looked shaken.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

They all nodded.

"When we land, we're going to need masks from the spores in the air." Anakin said.

"Let's take an inventory and see what we have."

Ferus nodded. "Right.

They had a basic med kit, which, thankfully, contained ten masks, as well as bandaged, bacta bath, and a survival kit filled with forty ration packs and a few gallons of water.

Ferus nodded at the inventory. "Seems like we're good until our masters arrive at Xagobah"

They were silent for a moment, because they all knew that was only _if _there masters arrived at Xagobah.

"They hit the shield generator!" siri cried.

Obi-wan looked out the view screen. They were doomed, it seemed like.

He noticed an asteroid belt nearby.

"See if you can lure them in there!" he told siri.

She pushed the ship, evasively dodging fire. The ship was being manned by droids, he knew, and they might be able to escape.

Siri piloted wildly, dodging fire. The ship's controls shook in her hands, but she continued, and was hidden by an asteroid just as the droids blew up one behind her. They hovered for a moment, hidden.

The enemy ship slowly flew away.

Obi-wan exhaled.

"They think they've destroyed us."

"But now they're off to kill the padawans" Sorra Antana said.

They all looked worried.

Siri hurriedly landed on an asteroid, and started the ship repairs.

Obi-wan wished desperately that Anakin was here. He would have the ship fixed in a minute.

"Do you think the padawans will be alright, with the ship following them and all?" Siri asked quietly.

Sorra bit her lip, but then finally spoke. "Darra is an alright pilot, but she's not battle ready.

Siri nodded. "The same is true for ferus.

Ry-gual said nothing of Tru.

Obi-wan realized he had to reassure them all.

"Anakin's very good with ships.' He said quietly. "Knows every in and out of any ship we've ever been on. I'm confident that they'll be alright."

Sorra nodded.

"Still, we should warn them, though." She said.

She tried hailing Darra on her comlink. All she got was static.

"They must be out of range." Ry-gual said.

Siri nodded, discouraged.

"Darra, can you boost our communication range?" Anakin asked." He was desperate to talk to his master, to make sure he was alright, as well as to receive further instructions. And Darra was best with communications.

Darra nodded and typed easily into a keypad. Slowly, she worked around the kinks and increased there range.

Obi-wan was shocked when his comlink signaled. He quickly answered it.

"Anakin?" he asked.

"Master, are you alright?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, we're damaged, but fine. The ship is going to come for you, Anakin do all you can to-"

"Han minute, master.

Anakin said quickly.

Someone reported an approaching ship.

"Anakin, there torpedoes are ready.' Tru said uneasily.

'I know Tru, I"

Just then there was a loud explosion, "Anakin!" Obi-wan heard Darra scream. Then it was just static.

Obi-wan stared at his comlink in disbelief.

"Darn it.' Anakin said, looking down at his com. "The link died."

He had slammed against the controls, momentarily blacking out for a moment. His head throbbed, and his nose was bleeding, but he kept piloting.

"Aren't you worried about the torpedoes that just hit the space debris beside us?" Ferus demanded.

"Yes, I am, ferus."

Anakin said, a bit annoyed at his tine.

"In fact." Anakin pulled the controls to the side, diving evasively. "I've never been more prepared."

"Do we have any weapons?" ferus asked.

Anakin shook his head. "Our best shot is to try to out-maneuver them." Anakin said quietly.

Darra looked at Anakin intent face as he piloted evasively, and made a quick decision.

"Strap yourselves in. Anakin's flying.' She said.

There was a small around of meteors to his left, Anakin noticed, and he maneuvered into them, just barely flying through the gap as two huge meteors collided.

"Give me reports on the other ship." Anakin said quietly.

"I think it banged itself up a little.' Tru said quietly.

"Good." Anakin nodded and dodged a barrage of laser cannon fire, still dodging asteroids.

"Tru, any smoke from those cannons?" he asked, after the rapid firing had slowed.

"Yeah. I think they're over heated." Tru responded.

Anakin pulled the ship up and started back towards the enemy cruiser.

"What are you doing?" ferus demanded.

"One minute.' Anakin said quietly.

He flew at top speed towards the enemy ship, which was helpless.

"There shields were disabled in the crash, I think." Anakin said. He continued to hurtle towards the ship.

"Are you insane.!?" Ferus yelled.

Anakin brought them dangerously close to the ship.

The ship pulled back and plowed into a meteoroid, crashing into a heap of space debris. Anakin pulled up at the last moment, barely dodging some meteors and leaving the asteroid belt.

"There we go." Anakin said happily.

Now, I say we go to Xagobah."

Darra spoke first. "I can't believe it Anakin, but you can actually win a battle in an escape pod."

Ferus looked pale.

"So, Xagobah it is, then?" Anakin said.

"Of course.' Ferus chimed in. "we received a direct order, Anakin.'

Anakin grinned. ';I was waiting for that." He said.

He set the escape pod flying at top speed towards Xagobah.

Chapter 5

"How are the repairs coming?" Obi-wan asked quietly.

Siri shook her head. "Not good. I'm, working on the shields now, in case they come back, and then the engine will take about three days, and even then, we'll take another day to make it to Xagobah."

Obi-wan felt his frustration well up in him.

"Can we raise the padawans on the comm unit?" he asked.

Siri shook her head.

Obi-wan sighed. He sensed his padawan was alive and well, but still, he didn't want him heading off to Xagobah alone. But he had sent them there on a direct order, after all.

His comlink signaled again, and he quickly answered it.

"Anakin?"

"Hi, master."

"Is everyone alright?"

"Yes, master.'

"The enemy ship?"

"Destroyed, master.'

"You don't have laser cannons." Obi-wan informed him.

Anakin sighed. "I know, master."

"How did you destroy it?" he asked.

"They crashed into a meteoroid." Anakin said.

"You tried to kill us!" ferus said in the background.

"That's a lie.' Anakin said quietly. "I only played chicken with them, and it worked."

Obi-wan relaxed slightly. It sounded like typical Anakin, always butting heads with ferus.

"So, how're things with you?" Anakin asked.

"We'll reach Xagobah in five days." Obi-wan said.

"Alright. We're almost there. A few hours, maybe." Anakin informed him.

Be careful, padawan."

Obi-wan could tell Anakin was grinning.

"I'm always careful, master."

Obi-wan rolled his eyes "May the force be with you."

Before Anakin could reply, the transmission crackled and buzzed out.

"Impressive piloting.' Siri remarked, grinning.

"Ferus didn't seem to like it." Sorra remarked.

"Yes, ferus thinks Anakin's piloting is a bit too- rough for him."

Obi-wan nodded. "Anakin always was a bit unorthodox in his flying methods."

Siri turned back to the ship controls and Obi-wan sighed. He hadn't had time to tell his padawans about the growing darkness he felt, and now they were trapped here, being forced to wait.

He just had to hope they'd sense if before it was too late.

Chapter

The landing on Xagobah was rough- Anakin drove the ship into the ground slightly, but it worked.

He fitted a mask over his face and looked out at the landscape of Xagobah. It was surrounded with fungus, and the air seemed dusty and clouded with spores.

Ferus looked around.

"Everyone ready?" he asked.

They all nodded, and he opened the hatch to the escape pod, letting them out into the dense air,.

It smelled musty and dank to Anakin, and he wrinkled his nose behind his mask. Growing up on a desert world, these kind of planets irrigated his senses. He blinked and looked around.

"So, where do we go?" Anakin asked quietly.

Ferus withdrew a data pad from his tunic.

"Thirteen clicks east." He said.

Darra groaned. "Can we fly the pod?" she asked.

Anakin shook his head. "Too conspicuous." He said.

He retreated inside the ship for a moment, emerging a few moments later with the med kit in hand, and cramming in the small surveillance devices they had.

He force-jumped out, then fell into step beside his fellow padawans.

At this rate, they would reach there deemed coordinates by nightfall.

The terrain was rough- swamplands, fungal forests, mountains, and dessert. They were currently walking through the rough dessert, towards what seemed a never ending sea of sand.

He hardly looked up. He had seen enough sand on Tatooiene to know what it looked like, and he hardly looked forward, only closed his eyes and went where the force guided him, following the data pad.

Eventually, they reached a dense fungal forest four clicks away. Anakin staggered over the large mushrooms, as did the other padawans, staring at the odd shapes the various types of fungi.

Finally, they reached a small swamp land at the base of a large mountain.

"We go around this huge rock, right?" Darra asked hopefully, meaning the mountain.

Ferus shook his head. "Nope. The data pad says straight up."

Darra sighed and removed her cable launcher.

The other padawans did the same. They scaled the sharp cliff face, but felt every inch they gained in the strain on their arms and legs. It took strength, endurance, and concentration to finally reach the top of the mountain.

They all collapsed for a moment when they had scaled it, laying on the ground, gasping for breath.

Finally, Tru spoke. "Fun climb." He said.

Anakin looked down at the one hundred meters they had just scaled. He let out a raspy laugh. ?"Yeah, fun./" he said.

Ferus pointed farther down the mountain range, where Anakin saw the outline of some large buildings hewn from rock.

"There's where they believe Zan arbor is." Ferus said.

Anakin looked as they walked forward. The city was larger than he had imagined, filled with crime and rough beings. They're tunics had been dirtied in the long trip here, though, so they fit right in with the grubby inhabitants.

Anakin silently tucked his padawan braid into his tunic, out of sight. His fellow padawans did the same.

"So, where do we go?" Anakin asked unsurely.

Ferus shrugged. "I don't know. It just gave coordinates for the city. Nothing else.'

Anakin nodded and looked around. Ugly looking duracrete buildings appeared to be the same shade as the mountains, stretching up for miles. Speeders buzzed above them, rotting garbage filled the streets, and drunken beings lay passed out in alleys.

"Wait. So, you mean, we have no place to stay, no base, no contacts, nothing?" Tru said, an edge of fear in his voice.

Ferus consulted the data pad. "We have one contact, a man named Belgras. He's a human, and it says he resides in a bar around here, doing illegal trades with Zan Arbor. The Jedi paid him off."

Darra looked up at the buildings all around her.

"Around here!?" she said loudly. "That could be anywhere!"

Anakin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Close your eyes, Darra. Focus." His eyes were already closed, and he felt the force swell around him.

He pin pointed the location of the being and started walking towards it. It was several space lanes up in a grubby building, and they all piled into a tiny turbo lift.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Ferus asked quietly.

"Yes.' Anakin n voice was so serene it even surprised him. The force did that to him sometimes, had him do things he didn't know he was capable of.

They exited into a small cantina that smelled of alcohol and vomit.

Anakin stepped off the turbo lift and listened as it clanked up the shaft behind him.

There were several beings in the bar. Most were too inebriated to speak, and some were lucky to be conscious.

Some sipped there drinks and remained alert, though.

"Who is it?" Darra asked.

Anakin focused again, then noticed the man behind the bar. Bearded, with a gruff look to him. He poured a toxic looking liquid for a rhodian male currently.

Anakin strode forward, his companions following. Anakin turned to them. "Get a booth. This guy seems flighty."

Reluctantly, ferus obeyed, and his fellow padawans slid into a disgusting looking booth.

Anakin strode up to the bar and sat down.

On Tatooiene, as a boy,, there were many places like this. He had tried to avoid them, but sometimes it was impossible. He knew how to handle himself in these joints.

He had found a small amount of credits in the med kit, and he placed them on the table in front of the male, who strode over to him.

"What'll you have?" the male asked.

"Information. The Jedi have arrived.' Anakin said through his mask, keeping his voice low.

Though the male wore a mask, too, he couldn't hide his surprise. "You're the jade?" he asked, amazed.

"Yes. Information now.' He said quietly.

The man pocketed the credits and handed him a holofile.

Just then, someone noisily entered the bar. Anakin concealed the holofile in his tunic, pretending to order a drink. The male poured it into a filthy glass and landed it to him, catching on. Anakin easily pretended to sip it, still keeping his head low.

He sensed the presence of the woman who had entered the bar. It was Zan arbor.

Beside her were two droids wielding stun buttons. They stood obienently beside her, and she strode easily up the counter.

"The last trade died too quickly. I'll need another, now." She said.

Belgras shook his head hurriedly, looking at Anakin. "I have no others to trade.'" He said.

"Will you get some soon?" She asked quietly.

"For the right price." Belgras answered cockily. Zan arbor had shot him in the chest before Anakin could blink. Belgras fell to the floor, dead.

Anakin nonchalantly lifted the drink to his lips again, trying to look mildly amused.

Inside, he was fighting the urge to run to Belgras, strike down Zan arbor, and destroy her droids. But then he would blow his cover.

"Scum." Zan Arbor muttered quietly, holstering her blaster and leaving the bar, droids behind her, not giving Anakin a second glance.

Anakin felt ferus's eyes boring into him, but he waited until he was sure Zan Arbor had left to stand up and leave. His fellow padawans followed behind him.

In the turbo lift, Ferus reprimanded him.

"What were you thinking!?" he demanded, staring hardly at Anakin.

"Just sitting there, getting _intoxicated, _while she shoots and innocent. And looking amused, too!"

"I _pretended _to have a drink,. Ferus. There was nothing I could do to help Belgras without blowing our cover. Besides, it was his own trading with Arbor and asking for a high price that brought him down. I wanted to help him, ferus. This is why I hate undercover missions!" He burst out.

Finally, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Ferus was studying him curiously now.

"Well, our contact is dead." Ferus said, a bit pointedly.

"Our masters are five days away, and we have no place to stay. What now?"

"I know my way around places like these, ferus." Anakin said confidently.

"I'm sure you do.' Ferus said, even more pointedly.

"Ferus!" Darra gave him a resentful glance.

"Anakin did what he thought was best! Now stop reprimanding him and think. What's been done had been done. Anakin should lead, since he understands the motives of people around here."

Tru nodded his agreement.

Anakin relaxed, seeing as his friends were defending him, and tried to fight off the beast of anger that roared in his chest. He beat it down, finally, as the turbo lift door opened, and they exited.

Anakin focused again, looking around him, reaching out with the force. A few meters away, he turned down a dark alley and entered an abandoned factory from the back. He looked around and nodded.

"This'll do."

He flopped on a dusty conveyer belt, looking up at the sagging ceiling.

Ferus stared at him in disbelief.

"_This _is your plan!? Staying in a decaying factory!?"

Anakin shrugged. "It's abandoned, which is good, since we want to keep low profiles. It'll work as a base, since it's spacious. And it's a roof over our heads for the night. It might be a falling in room, but it's a roof, anyways."

Ferus threw a desperate glance at Darra and Tru for support.

Tru shrugged. "Got a better idea?" he asked quietly.

Ferus sighed and shook his head.

Anakin removed the holoprojector from the med kit and inserted the holo-file Belgras.

The image of the scruffy man appeared, as he read off a crumpled sheet of paper.

"Okay, Jedi, this is all the information I have. I try to find force-sensitive slaves and send them to Zan arbor, she pays handsomely and does something to them, but they all die. No skin off my nose, though."

Anakin stared at the figure in disgust.

Belgras began to read off records. "Traded a female rhodian three months ago. She died within a week, the lady told me. A Twi'lik male, who died in three days, I think since she ordered another."

Anakin watched in horror as Belgras read off name after name of the dead slaves.

Finally, the transmission ended.

Ferus looked slightly shaken, but finally spoke. "Well, that was pretty useless." He said quietly.

"We know nothing new, only that Belgras got paid and a lot of slaves died."

Darra nodded. "Completely useless.

Just then, blaster fire erupted outside.

The padawans flew to their feet, just as the door was broken down by six droids.

The padawans all studied one another for a moment, wondering if they should blow there cover.

Ferus shook his head no at the unspoken question.

"Run!" he yelled.

They all scattered, trying to evade the droid.

Anakin dodged a droid, and Darra slid beneath one, Tru using his flexibility to flip overtop one.

Ferus followed behind them, towards the door.

He was caught by a stun baton before he could leave, and he fell to the floor.

Anakin was the only one to see it, and he stopped and reached for his light saber.

"Anakin, No!" Ferus yelled, as a droid started towards him. "Go!"

Anakin hated following orders, but he ran, outside, into the street, past a crowded heap of people.

In the alley, he summoned the force and leaped atop a dumpster, then climbed a water pipe and jumped onto the roof of the small, two story factory, where he was hidden in the shadows.

He watched as Zan Arbor stood and her captured people were herded together by the droids she began to speak.

"Now, you have all been gathered because you are force sensitive. You will be used as test subjects for various experiments. But, I assure you," she said, her expressionless face breaking into a cruel smile that made Anakin shudder. "I will treat you with the utmost care." She turned to ferus.

"Especially you." She removed his padawan braid from where he had hidden it in his collar, and removed with light saber from within this tunic before he could top her.

A large speeder arrived. "On, all of you." Zan arbor ordered. The captured beings were hurriedly shoved aboard the transport. Zan arbor rode aboard her own personal speeder, and then, with the coordinates punched in, they were gone.

Chapter

The first day of repairs wasn't even over, and Obi-wan felt it rock him. Something had happened to the padawans.

Obi-wan knew the other masters felt it to, but they were all silent. Obi-wan tried desperately to reach out with the force, trying to call to Anakin through it. He received no answer. His heart quickened slightly. Was his padawan injured badly, possibly dead? He had no idea.

He forced himself to remain calm and think. Anakin was probably frustrated, blocking him out. He hadn't sensed his padawan specifically was hurt, and there was no other way for him to tell, so he decided that would be it. It was all he could do.

But he felt a sudden feeling of dread rise in him as he waited.

Chapter

Anakin crawled hurriedly back to the factory, waiting. Darra and Tru appeared a moment later, looking shaken and scared.

"They have Ferus." Darra said quietly.

"I know." Anakin said.

"What do we do?" Tru asked.

Anakin sighed. "They know we are Jedi, now, and they must have tried to destroy our master's ship. We must continue with the mission, and rescue Ferus as soon as possible. But while he's there, he's gathering information for us. Until then, we have to wait until the right time." He said.

Darra and Tru nodded, a bit discouraged.

"Should we stay here tonight? Do you think Zan arbor bugged the place?" Darra asked, concerned.

Anakin gathered the force and easily located a small com unit that had been hidden. "Hello, Zan arbor.' He said. He ripped out the wires, destroying it.

"Let's find another place.' He said quietly."

Darra and Tru nodded, and were too busy packing to notice Anakin slip the comlink into his tunic.

They ended up sleeping in an abandoned cantina, with no door and rats scuttling around them.

Anakin agreed to take the first watch, but then reached out with the force to try and sense Ferus.

He sensed his fellow padawan somewhere far away.

He called out in the force for ferus, but then sensed that his call had been monitored by some sort of bizarre force sensing equipment, and that ferus had been punished.

He removed himself, sensing what was around ferus, trying to stay removed and not cause ferus more trouble. He sensed his fellow padawan was in pain.

His eyes were open, but they were heavy, as he tried to gather every detail. He sat, facing the wall, meditating on it all.

Darra shook him the next day.

"Anakin. Anakin!"

Anakin blinked in surprise and looked over at her.

"Yes, Darra?" he asked quietly.

Darra studied his face, then decided.

"Rest, Anakin. You kept watch all night. You look terrible."

Anakin tried feebly to protest, but knew it was no used. He closed his eyes and felt sleep overcome him.

_He was lying in a room, surrounded by a force field. He lay on the floor, gasping, trying to catch his breath. He wore a stun cuffs and was exhausted and hurt, he knew. His nose was bleeding._

_A voice came into the room through a tinny speaker._

"_We are going to see how the force reacts when faced with electrical shocks." Said a cruel voice he knew so well._

_He couldn't respond, only gasp for breath. Suddenly, his cuffs shocked him repeatedly at intervals, but the pain grew worse each time. He screamed, until finally, amidst all the horror and burning pain, he blacked out._

Anakin sat up screaming.

Tru raced over to him, trying to calm him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, checking Anakin over for injuries. Anakin caught his breath and shook his head. "A dream. Ferus. He's in pain. Terrible pain."

Tru looked worried.

Anakin sighed.

"Tru, I have to trade placed with ferus." He said.

Tru looked shocked.

Darra walked over with the med kit. She felt his forehead carefully. She looked him over, concerned. "Anakin, you're being too hasty with this. Sit down for a minute. Let me take your temperature.'

Anakin pulled away, jolting to his feet.

"No! You need to listen to me! I've been meditating on it all night trying to figure out how to help ferus. He's hurt, badly, as far as I can sense. He as vital information about arbor's bizarre experiments, too. For the good of the mission, we have to get him out, not only as a fellow Jedi but also as a valuable information source."

Darra and Tru exchanged glances.

"Please." Anakin pleaded. "If we leave him there too long, he'll die."

Obi-wan looked up. Siri had let out a gasp, and suddenly she was staring into space beside him.

"Siri?" he asked, concerned. 'Siri!" he shook his friend gently, and she jolted back to him, back to the real world.

Sorra rushed over with the med kit.

Siri put up a hand. "I'm fine.' She said quietly. 'It was just a vision. It was… disturbing…."

"What did you see?" Obi-wan asked, as ry-gual approached them with a glass of water for Siri.

Siri shook her head. "Ferus.' She said, quietly.

"He's in great pain."

Chapter

The day wore away with arguing. He should go, he shouldn't go, they changed their mind a million times,.

In the morning, Anakin awoke feeling Ferus's life force getting dangerously low.

"I'll go." Darra announced over breakfast.

Tru shook his head. "It'll be me."

Anakin looked at them both. "I'll do it." He said firmly.

"How do we know you won't die like ferus is now?" Tru asked.

"You don't/" Anakin said quietly. "But ferus is a valuable source of information, and it's worth the risk of my life.'

"it' s worth my life too, Anakin. Why should you be the one to go?" Darra asked sternly.

"Because, I can use the force to last longer than both of you. Whatever Zan Arbor does to me, the force will get me through it. My connection to it… its different… it surprises me even, sometimes."

Darra and Tru exchanged glances. They both knew Anakin was right. His connection the force trumped them all.

That statement seemed to win them over, after some minor details were settled.

At noon, the planning began.

"How do we get Ferus?"

"How do we contact Zan Arbor?"

"Why don't we just trick Zan Arbor and keep you both safe?"

Anakin looked at Darra. It was a good idea.' You can try, Darra, but it won't be that easy,. Be prepared for me to get captured.'

Darra nodded "Fine. But I won't let it happen."

The plans were made.

Anakin had Darra re-activate the comlink that Zan arbor had bugged them with. He made sure they had channeled the base, then spoke directly into.

"Jenna Zan Arbor, this is a Jedi speaking. Respond."

Anakin heard no answer.

He sighed./ 'Zan arbor, I know it will take some persuasion to get your attention. So I'll begin. My name is Anakin skywalker. I am the chosen one."

Anakin hated the sound of his title, the chosen one. It sounded so arrogant.

"I am willing to give myself up to you, if, in return, you free Jedi padawan ferus Olin, who you currently possess."

Anakin waited for a response. It was silent.

"I have3 a midi-cholorian count of over twenty thousand.' Anakin said into the comlink.

The link crackled and buzzed quietly.

"I'll take it. Meet me where I caught your friend, Ferus whatever. Come alone. If you come with friends, ferus dies."

Anakin spoke. "Fine. I'll come unarmed, but you must release ferus and I must receive word that he's reached the destination I give him safely from my fellows before I go.'

"That can be arranged." Zan arbor said quietly.

"Meet me at dark." The transmission cut out.

Anakin stared at a dismayed Darra and Tru.

"Sorry, guys. I told you it wouldn't be that easy." Anakin said apologetically.

Tru looked lost.

"So, you're really going to go through with it?" Darra asked quietly.

Anakin nodded. 'I have to. What else is there to do? The mission n depends on it.'

Darra sighed. Tru was still silent.

"I'll stay alive as long as I can.' Anakin assured them. "I promise, when my master arrives, I'll be waiting for you to come save my skin."

All Darra could do was muster a sad smile at the joke. Quietly, she hugged Anakin.

"May the force be with you." He said,.

Tru gently tossed Anakin his bag of Figta candy, which he always carried with him. 'May the force be with you, Anakin. He murmured.

Anakin looked outside.

It was almost dark.

"I have to go. Contact me when ferus arrives, and then I'll be gone." Anakin said.

Darra nodded shakily.

He gave his friends one last look over his shoulder and proceeded out, into the dark night.

Chapter

Ferus was almost incoherent, Anakin saw, as Zan arbor threw him out of the transport.

She removed his stun cuffs and force collar.

Anakin rushed forward to the bloody heap that had been his fellow padawan. To his relief, ferus was breathing.

He turned to Zan Arbor.

"He can't make it back himself.' He said quietly.

Zan Arbor shrugged. "Not my problem." She said quietly.

"I'll carry him back, then come here again." Anakin said.

"Of course you will." Zan arbor said sarcastically.

"No, really, I will. Put stun cuffs on me or something. If I'm not back soon, you can shock me to death or something."

Zan arbor raised an eyebrow at him. Finally, she placed the cuffs tightly on his wrists.

"Go. If you're not back in fifteen minutes, I kill you. And if your friends try to cut them off, they detonate and kill you."

Anakin nodded and slung Ferus over his back, and ferus moaned quietly.

"Be back soon.' Anakin said quietly.

Ferus moaned as he took the streets back toward where they stayed.

Ferus groaned, and Anakin could see how much he had been put through.

"It's okay ferus.' He tried to sooth his fellow awkwardly. 'We're almost there.'

"Anakin?" ferus asked quietly.

"Yes. You won't see me much anymore, but you're safe. I'm taking you to Darra and Tru.'

"How?" ferus asked.

"I'll explain later.' Anakin said quietly.

"Anakin…" ferus mumbled. But he blacked out.

Anakin rushed inside the door of the abandoned cantina, setting ferus down ion wheat had once been the bar.

Darra and Tru stared at him in shock, and at ferus with horror.

"How did you do it?" Darra asked, amazed.

"I didn't." Anakin showed them the cuffs.

"She gave me fifteen minutes. Then she shocks me to death.'

Darra ignited her light saber smoothly.

'Let's cut them off, then!"

No!" Anakin pulled his wrists away quickly.

'If you cut them off, they detonate and kill us all. Take care of ferus now." He looked nervously around him.

"I don't have much time."

He turned and ran back out, pounding down the road, until he reached the place where Zan Arbor was waiting impatiently.

She smiled when she saw him. "I knew you'd return. You're not that stupid.' She said, grinning.

"That means so much to me." Anakin said, rolling his eyes.

A droid stepped forward and roughly frisked him for any weapons. Then, he was injected with a clear, dense liquid. He started to feel dizzy. He felt his knees turn to water. He tapped into the force, trying to stay awake. The cuffs shocked him, and he cried out.

"Don't even try, Jedi.' Zan Arbor sneered. A force restraining collar was placed around his neck, and he felt the shock and not feeling any of the force around him. He felt a total absence. He was roughly thrown into a speeder. He saw spots, and then everything was black.

Chapter

Obi-wan sprang to his feet, feeling the surge in the force.

Obi-wan!" Sorra rushed over to him. "What's wrong?"

"I just lost any presence Anakin had in the force.' He said worriedly. "I can't feel him anywhere. And he was in pain before I lost him."

Siri walked over, smiling. 'I sense ferus. He is better now, or healing. He is with Darra and Tru."

Obi-wan nodded. 'Good.' He said quietly.

Siri noticed his lack of enthusiasm, though.

"It's Anakin, isn't it?" She asked.

"bi-wan nodded. "His presence in the force just vanished. I can't feel him at all."

Siri placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I will try to hurry the repairs, Obi-wan. I'll do everything I can."

Obi-wan nodded grimly. "Thank you, Siri." He said quietly. Siri hurried to work on the engines.

It had been the third day of repair, but obi-wan didn't think he could bare the final two days to repair

The ship and the day to reach the planet. He wasn't sure if Anakin was well.

He sat down and placed his head in his hands, trying to stop his incredible fear. But he could, and it just kept rushing forward, sending his terror to new heights.

Anakin awoke to an electric shock, jolting him awake. He was in a pen surrounded by a force field. He sighed, remembering. He felt nauseous, and weak. Something from the drug Zan Arbor had given him, he was sure. Shakily, he stood. He tried to gather the force around him, and he did. Monitors around hi

"Ah, good, you're awake.' Anakin heard the voice through the speakers and suppressed a moan.

"Just so you're aware, this entire facility had filtrated air, so you no longer need to wear a mask against spores, and the facility is also entirely force proof, so that you cannot be sensed from outside."

"That's a lie.' Anakin said.

He had sensed ferus, but he realized it wasn't his own skills that had caused that, but the will of the force. As he realized this, he was shocked again.

He grunted and the shock stopped, just as quickly as it had come.

"Don't be mouthy. Another thing, Jedi. Be good, and you 'll be rewarded. Refuse to cooperate, and you'll be punished horribly.'

"More horrible than being here?" Anakin asked.

He knew he'd said the wrong thing, but he wasn't about to apologize.

"I see you need a lesson./" Zan arbor said. "Jykan will teach you."

Instantly, a door appeared in the force field, and a huge, muscular rat-like creature entered.

Anakin received the beating of his life. Kicks, punches, being thrown up against the wall, and claws. The claws were the worse. He received deep gashes down his right side because of the claws.

Finally, when he was almost incoherent, the beating stopped, and he was injected with another drug.

This drug didn't lessen his pain, but gave him strength, and he quickly sat up.

"Impressive. You respond quickly." Zan Arbor said through the speaker.

"I'll bargain with you." Anakin said, hoping that he could contact someone or _do _something.

"No. You'll cooperate of receive daily beatings." Zan arbor corrected him.

Anakin sighed.

"Now, let's begin. Today, we'll be testing the force and how it is affected by various drugs. I promise, it won't hurt you."

A medical droid entered and injected Anakin with an odd drug. He could have resisted, but he didn't want another beating.

The drug made his arms seem to shake, and sent a tingling feeling all through his body.

Soon, he was shaking so violently, he had to sit down.

He was sweating buckets and still shaking, but he knew he just had to get through it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the medical droid injected him with the clear liquid, and the shaking stopped. He took a few deep breaths, then felt another needle enter under his skin.

The next hours were the worst of his life.

He remembered completely losing control, having a violent spasm on the floor, gasping for breath he couldn't seem to get. And before he blacked out, he was brought back to his normal state again.

He vomited, Hallucinated, burned, froze, felt terrible pain, icy nothingness, saw the face of his master distorted millions of times, and watched Qui-gon Jinn die over and over again.

Finally, with a final injection of clear liquid, followed by one of icy blue, he blacked out into the sweet reprieve of nothingness.

He awoke shivering on the cold metallic floor of the cell. Was it from the drugs, or was it freezing here?

Anakin exhaled. He could see his breath. He realized it wasn't a mistake, but another experiment.

He gathered the force around him, trying to warm himself, only to find he could connect to nothing.

"I'm sorry, Jedi, but I'm studying how your midi-chlorians react to severe cold. This means without you using them to warm yourself."

Anakin was too cold to argue.

He tried getting up to walk around and stay warm, but was shocked by his stun cuffs. Zan Arbor wanted him as cold as possible for as long as possible, he realized.

He reached the point where his entire body shook uncontrollably. His teeth rattled, and he opened his eyes to see the tips of his fingers turning blue, using circulation.

Just then, a droid entered with a syringe. It inserted the needle into his neck, and he watched his blood drain away into the rather large syringe. Then, once his blood was drained, the droid released the force collar. Anakin felt overjoyed at the rush of the force around him. He focused as hard as we could, and soon his body temperature was back to normal. To his surprise, the droid took another syringe of his blood and left him.

He felt the air temperature around him return to normal and sighed with contentment. He hadn't eaten or drank, and it was only his first day.

As if in response to his question, the droid entered with what looked like a meal, placed it just beyond the doorway, and left.

Anakin got to his feet to walk over to it, but found he collapsed. He had lost a lot of blood, he realized, and was weakened. He felt disturbed at this knowledge. How would he ever escape this place if he was too exhausted to move?

He crawled over to the bowl and studied it. It was a pasty, starchy looking mixture, and it was soupy. Anakin found a spoon beside it and hesitated. Was the food drugged? He sensed it wasn't only some bizarre medical ration, and he ate it quietly, the left the bowl by the door. He went to study the things around him.

He noticed a large grate, what looked like an empty bacta tank, and other insane medical equipment, what he also noticed, though, was the grate. It was a large, metallic grate, and he could easily fit inside it. It might be an escape route.

He was so busy studying what lay beyond his small prison he didn't notice until the needle was already in his neck, and he slipped away into unconsciousness again.

He awoke to find his cheek against the burning metal floor. He cried out in pain and jolted up.

The air was hot and stuffy, he realized, and everything was hot now. Another temperature experiment. He didn't want to scald to death on the floor, though.

He noticed the small black ox in the center of the floor and tried to get to his feet. Some strength had returned to him, he realized. He staggered over to it and sat atop it, finding, to his pleasure, that it wasn't burning hot, but the normal temperature, while the air around him grew considerably hotter.

He was sweating buckets, he realized, as he sat on the small box. All around him, the temperature burned considerably higher. He tried to use the force and felt the force restraining collar around his neck again. He sighed and struggled to think. He was losing mental capabilities, he realized. It was the heat. It was destroying him. Finally, he couldn't sit up on the box anymore. He lay, sprawled across it, not unconscious but wishing he was. When it seemed like he could go no further, he felt hot metal piercing his neck. He cried out, only to see the droid taking another blood sample. Good. That meant it was almost over.

He waited until his collar wad removed, then gathered the force, only to find it weaker than before, and brought down his body temperature. The droid removed more blood and left. The room again cooled, and Anakin found himself dizzy from the blood he had just lost.

He looked down at his hand. It was incredibly pale. He suddenly vomited the pasty lunch he had eaten without warning onto the metal floor. He suppressed a moan and staggered away. How much longer could he take this?

"Is it over yet?" he asked Zan Arbor quietly.

"For today, yes, Jedi." She replied. He heard her laugh. "I don't think you can take much more. You did much more than that other padawan on the first day, though. _Much _more."

So it was only his first day. He let himself sprawl out on the floor of the facility, trying desperately to gather the force around him. He knew the facility was force proof, but he had to try.

He gathered what little strength he could from the force and tried to call out to obi-0wan, wherever he was. Monitors around him beeped. Zan Arbor rushed over.

"Keep going!" she ordered. Anakin paid her no attention and tried to call out to Obi-wan.

He tried until he was too exhausted to do anymore, and let his head fall back down to the floor. He fell into a dazed, tormented sleep.

Chapter

Obi-wan felt it. A tiny, desperate call to him. "It's Anakin.' He said quietly.

"He's calling.'

He felt all the other masters try to focus, though they weren't as attuned to his padawan's force signature as he was.

Finally, they sensed it.

"It's… so… little." Sorra commented.

Siri looked concerned. "Anakin's normally much stronger."

Obi-wan nodded. 'He's desperate. I can feel his pain. He's calling me. He needs help."

Obi-wan closed his eyes and tried to answer. He could tell it wasn't reaching his padawan for some reason. He kept feeling his padawan cry out, and he felt the frustration inside him build of not being able to answer him.

He imagined how Abandoned his padawan felt, how alone and in pain he was. He fought down an anger that rose in his chest. What was happening to him?

Finally, he sensed Anakin's force ebbing. His padawan had run out of strength to talk to him. With a final plea, his padawan's force signature dropped off his radar completely.

Obi-wan sighed in frustration and got to his feet, pacing. Siri and Sorra studied him worriedly.

"How much longer until we can reach Xagobah?" he asked.

Siri shook her head. "Two days. We can fly now, but it'll be dangerous and painfully slow. We probably won't make it.'

Obi-wan nodded. "We can wait another day.' He said, though he felt his padawan slipping with each moment they waited, it seemed.

But it was better to arrive safely and a bit later than not to arrive at all.

Chapter

Ferus awoke and sipped quietly at water.

"Hello, ferus." Darra said, a small smile crossing her lips.

Under all the blood, ferus's injuries had been relatively mild, but the tool it had taken on him was enormous. Tru and Darra had treated his injuries and done what they could to let him rest, and now, he was finally awake.

"Hello." Ferus said quietly.

"Do you remember what happened?" Tru asked.

Ferus nodded and shuddered. "Terrible experiments, so many drugs… and… Anakin. He carried me here.'

Ferus said up and looked around quickly.

"Where is he?" he asked quietly.

Tru and Darra looked uncomfortable.

"He's… umm… he traded himself… for you…." Darra said.

"He _what!?" _Ferus was staring now, looking to Tru and Darra.

"Why? He ran off and did it, didn't he?"

"No, he didn't'." Darra said.

"You _let him!?" _Ferus said in disbelief.

Tru nodded slightly. "He sensed you, ferus. He told us you were in pain. Besides, you had been with Zan Arbor for two days, and so you had valuable intel about her and experiments. He's the strongest with the force, so we figured he would be able to survive the longest."

Ferus shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't believe it.' He said. He swung his legs over the side of the bar and shakily stood. He took a few staggering steps and collapsed, and Tru hurriedly caught him and supported him back to the bar.

"We have to help him." Said ferus.

Tru shook his head. "No. Now, we're waiting for our masters and hoping Zan Arbor doesn't-"

He was interrupted by blaster fire, and he hurried to help Ferus out the door, Darra flanking them both.

Zan Arbor had arrived.

They retreated and hid in a dumpster out behind the cantina, listening to the cries of the captured. Zan Arbor had rounded up three begins, he sensed.

Ferus shuddered. "More test subjects." He said quietly.

"But that means the others are dead.' Darra whispered shakily.

"And Anakin is?" Tru asked.

They all reached out with the force. They felt nothing of their companion. "The facility is force proof." Ferus explained. No force signals can escape it.'

"Do you know where it is?" Darra asked. He shook his head. 'They drugged us on the ride. I remember heading into fungal forests, and then I blacked out."

They heard the speeders driving away.

"Should we follow them?" she asked uncertainly.

Ferus shook his head. 'It's too late.' He sighed as Tru helped him back to the old cantina.

"How long have I been out for?" Ferus asked.

"It's Anakin's second day with Arbor, and our masters fifth day. They should be here anytime. Why? What do you think they're doing to Anakin?"

Ferus shook his head. 'I don't know, but he's stronger than I was, so she'll certainly be having a field day with him."

Darra sighed and nodded Tru looked lost. They all waited.

Chapter

Anakin awoke to find his hands of springy grass. He was surrounded by trees. Was he dreaming? He got to his feet and found his strength was much better than yesterday. He looked around him. He was in a shielded enclosure of fungal forest, he saw, and the testing facility was somewhere behind him.

Another experiment. He sighed. He was starving. He was also thirsty from the heat experiment yesterday. He knew he wasn't dehydrated. Zan Arbor must have been running an IV on him yesterday- but that still didn't' help with his thirst.

He noticed a bowl at the end of the enclosure and strode over.

He ate the pasty mixture easily and looked around. No water. He felt the force restraining collar around him and sighed. He would have to rely on survival skills alone.

He walked carefully through the forest, trying to be aware, but he couldn't be. He felt the frustration at the lack of the force rise around him again. Just then, he noticed it. Mud. Tracks in the mud. He followed the mud to its source- a spring fed pool.

He studied the facility around him. The water appeared to be spore free, as was the entire facility. Zan Arbor must have been filtering the air and water. He dipped his hand into the large pool. It was filled with frigid water. He knew he could use his hands as a cup to bring the water to his mouth, but thirst tore at his insides, and he plunged his head into the water and drank as much as he could. He came up and gasped for breath. It was then he heard the growl.

He dodged to the side as the creature lunged for him, realizing he had been surprised since he had no force to alert him of danger.

He dodged as another creature pounced down from a tree, but its claws grazed his chest, and he felt the wound open.

The creatures came after him, one by one, until there was about a dozen surrounding him. They worked quickly, trying to move him into a position where he couldn't dodge. He sighed. If he had the force, he could jump over them and escape. But he was trapped. He felt fear rise in his throat as the stalking continued, and his strength ebbed. He knew he couldn't win this battle.

He studied the creatures trying to kill him. They were similar to lions, with a dark brown coat of fur that blended in with a large ground fungus. They possessed yellow teeth and frothed saliva. There claws were retractable and razor-sharp, and he had received several blows already.

He wondered if he should give up and let the lion like creatures kill him when suddenly, they were all hit with darts. They each swayed and fell to the ground, unconscious. Anakin's heart was still racing, though.

Out of the forest, the shining droid approached him and took a syringe of his blood. Anakin's nerves were too frazzled for him to resist. Then, like it had become so familiar to him, he was injected and he blacked out.

He awoke outside again. He moaned. He could feel the various wounds the lion's claws had cut into him, and he removed his tunic and studied the wounds. He had been unconscious for an hour, he supposed, since the blood had dried. He had some difficulty getting to his feet,. He felt around his neck. There was no restraining collar.

He sighed in relief. He was wounded, but not too helpless anymore. He used the force to try healing himself, but felt a shock that brought him to his knees.

"No." a voice came through a speaker, and Anakin realized it was Zan arbor. He felt a small metal cuff around his wrist and sighed. He had the force, but had to continue wounded.

He started off through the forest.

He wasn't thirsty or hungry, but knew Zan Arbor probably wanted to see how he was in battle with the force. It was his only weapon, but it would do. He just had to find what she wanted him to fight.

He walked to the water pool and waited for a few minutes. No animals came to prey on him. Zan arbor must have wanted a different layout, he realized. He struck out through the woods.

He came to a rocky outcropping and noticed them. There was least a dozen or more malia, all with blue gray fur. Anakin recognized them anywhere.

He had had to fight off a pack of these ferocious bests on the planet Ragoon six with obi-wan, on a training exercise that had gone horribly wrong.

Anakin looked at the sleeping beasts, unsure. They had tapered snouts, triple rows of teeth, and were incredibly quick. He had struggled to fight them off with Obi-wan and his light saber. Could he take them on himself now?

He studied the malia, then took a deep breath and stepped into the clearing. Zan Arbor wanted him to fight them, so he would. Besides, they were less ferocious during the day. He would have an even worse chance at night. He stepped intentionally on a twig and woke them.

They growled fiercely at him and rose, teeth bared. Anakin knew if he looked them, in the eyes, he would provoke them, and so he did. He made sure to make eye contact with each and every single beast.

They lunged. He gathered the force around him and pushed the malia away before they could attack him. He knew not to let any get behind or beside him, and he kept them all in front of him, at bay.

Two malia jumped at once, and he dodged and force pushed away one while the other jumped at him and slashed him across the cheek with his claws, sinking his teeth into his shoulder. Anakin force pushed the creature away and fended off another attack.

He force jumped onto a large fungus tree, and the malia began to follow. He had the high ground now, and it was easy to keep the malia at bay until; the tranquilizer darts came and his blood sample was taken.

Anakin was breathing heavily, and his heart was racing. He allowed the droid to remove another blood sample from him.

He smelled his own blood and looked down at where the malia had bitten him. Crimson blood dripped down his shoulder. Before he could treat the wound or even prepare, the needle sunk into him once again. Anakin sighed. He was going to lose consciousness again.

He sighed and let himself slip into the blackness of unconsciousness.

Obi-wan listened as the engine turned over and the ship started. The hyper dive sputtered, but activated.

Obi-wan looked up at Siri appreciatively. "Thank you for rushing so much." He said.

Siri shrugged. "We'll only be half a day early, obi-wan." She said.

The ship was still going painfully slow. But they would reach Xagobah by midday tomorrow.

Chapter

Anakin awoke lying on the metallic floor of the facility and sighed with relief. It was comforting to be back here, no matter how many horrible experiences he had had.

"His relief was short-lived, though.

The cuffs on his wrists began shocking him at intervals, at even higher voltage each time.

He cried out in pain and thrashed uncontrollably as his muscles were shocked rapidly. His shoulder wound began to bleed again.

He struggled to stay conscious, afraid of what would happen if he didn't.

"A few more minutes, Jedi. Then it will all be over."

Anakin cried out in pain and knew he couldn't last that lion. He sighed and blacked out.

He awoke to feel the rat-like being throwing his body up against the force field. His malia bite was bleeding heavily now, as were his scratches the rat creature had given him the previous day and the clawing he had received from the lion creatures.

He tried to remain inert and limp as he felt himself being hammered with sharp blows on his arm and chest. He was kicked in the ribs and heard a painful cracking sound. He gasped. He realizes the rat creature was going to beat him until he acted awake.

He cried out in pain as he was thrown down on the floor and hit his head. Colors popped before his eyes, and he felt various blows land on his torso.

He cried out in real pain now, not acting or trying to get the rat to stop. At least the rat kept his claws retracted, this time.

Finally, the beating stopped and Anakin felt himself losing consciousness. It seemed like that had been his only reprieve lately.

The metal droid entered and injected him, and his hopes of unconsciousness were crushed as he felt all his alertness return and more blood being taken from him.

The voice of Zan Arbor came on the speaker. She sounded annoyed. "You could have stayed conscious through eh shocking, you know. I knew it, too. So when you quit on me, I decided we'd move on the physical pain tests.'

Anakin gagged and struggled not to vomit.

"Maybe if you'd actually treat the wounds I get from every test, I'd cooperate better.' He spat out.

Zan Arbor was silent for a moment, and he was afraid the rat being was going to enter again when the door opened and Zan Arbor stepped inside.

"Out.' She ordered. Anakin staggered to his feet and stepped out. He realized he had been stripped of his upper tunic, and his chest, as well as his other various wounds, were bleeding.

He struggled to keep pace with Zan Arbor as they walked down the halls.

Anakin studied the cuff on his wrists for a moment and looked up. He gathered the force around him and tried to memorize every detail of what he was seeing, every turn.

Zan Arbor shut studied him and smiled.

"You've been the best subject I've had so far." She said, a greedy gleam in her eyes.

"I'm honored." Anakin said, rolling his eyes. He studied Zan Arbor for a brief moment.

Her hair was long and blond, tied into a near bun. Her face looked old, as though it had been enhanced to hide years.

She was short, a bit smaller than Anakin, but didn't seem intimidated.

Finally, they turned into a comfortable looking room. Zan arbor sat behind the desk.

Anakin looked at the plush couch on his side, wondering if he was welcome to sit on it.

"Take a seat" Zan Arbor said, indicating the couch. Anakin sat down, sinking into the plush upholstery and realizing he hadn't been this comfortable in a while.

"It seems I can't get what I want from you with just the threat of beatings anymore.' Zan Arbor said, a gleam in her eye.

Anakin waited to hear more.

Zan Arbor sighed. "So what is it you want, Jedi?"

"freedom." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. He tensed, ready to be struck for his outburst, but Zan Arbor laughed.

"Don't we all.' She said quietly. "Now, something I'll actually give to you. What do you want? Food, comfort? Anything you want, I'll give to you.'

Anakin thought about the mission hurriedly, and decided. 'Two hours of freedom a day to walk around and do whatever I want." He said.

Zan arbor furrowed her brow.

"One hour." She said finally.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "What happened to, anything I asked?" he said,.

Zan Arbor called in a droid to remove him.

He found himself in his small, force field room a moment later. The cuff on his wrist began to shock him again. He instantly stopped all use of the force he had that was keeping him strong and fell unconscious."

He awoke to find the rat beating him again, kicking him the ribs, claws slashing down his legs, and a hard punch to the mouth,. Anakin endured it all without a cry of pain, staring up at the rat hatefully.

Finally, the beating stopped as he began to lose consciousness. Anakin spit blood on the floor and sunk again into his black world of relief.

He awoke on the plush couch in Zan Arbor's office. Zan Arbor looked impatient and annoyed with him.

'I have told you, Jedi, to cooperate. Now, I will give you medical care if you cooperate. I'll stop the pain."

Anakin looked down at the white couch he was laying on. It was stained crimson with his blood. "Two hours to roam." He said. "Or nothing."

Zan Arbor sighed and threw up her hands.

"Fine! Two hours! But I decide when. You have to complete what I planned for the day before you do."

Anakin nodded. "Sounds reasonable. Am I done for the day?"

Zan arbor looked down at his bloodied, bruised form and nodded. "Two hours. Then back in the cell.' Anakin shakily stood and left.

It was torture dragging himself around the facility, snooping, watching things. He tapped into the force for reserves of strength, hoping that he wouldn't black out. He had begun to wish he had taken medical care. If the pain would stop, he would be much more capable. But he sight and continued to stagger around memorizing details. It was for the good of the mission, he told himself.

The droid escorted him back to his cell and he found his evening meal, the pasty, starchy substance, waiting for him. He quickly ate it and lay down on the metallic floor, shivering. He was exhausted, and he let sleep wash over him in great waves like a tide, pulling him away from the dismal shore that his life had become, and out the sea of sleep, where he felt nothing. No pain.

Obi-wan arrived at midday, along with the other Jedi masters. They landed there cruiser in a grimy hanger and put the extra security measures into place. In a city like this, one could never be too careful.

The Jedi masters got a sense of there padawans, or where they were, anyways, and followed it to the lowest level, in an old cantina. Obi-wan got no sense of Anakin, wherever he was.

They entered the dark cantina and got a sense of three forms. Suddenly, two light sabers ignited.

The green glow of her light saber illuminated Darra's face, while the blue one from Tru's seemed to reflect off his silvery features.

As soon as the padawans sensed there masters, they disengaged there light sabers.

The masters rushed forward, checking for injuries, breaks, and concussions.

Obi-wan turned on his glow rod, as did the others, and soon the old cantina was lit up with the light of them.

"What happened?" Sorra asked. "Is everyone alright?" Ry-gual asked.

Darra bit her lip and looked uncomfortable. Tru studied the ground. Ferus, from where he laid on the bar spoke. "no." he said quietly. "Anakin."

Obi-wan felt dread rise up within him. The other masters looked around, noting Anakin's absence.

"Where is he?" Obi-wan asked quietly, though he was sure he knew the answer already.

"He's with Zan Arbor."

They were all silent for a minute.

"What happened?" siri asked boldly.

The story came pouring out.

Belgras, the contact, was dead. Ferus had been captured. Anakin had realized his fellow padawan wouldn't last much longer. He had given himself up in exchange for ferus. He was currently, as far as they knew, with Zan Arbor.

Obi-wan felt his fear continue to well up inside him. Zan arbor had tortured Qui-gon. He hated the thought that his padawan was enduring the same thing now.

Darra handed him something. "He went to get ferus unarmed." She said quietly. "Or Zan Arbor threatened to kill him."

Obi-wan nodded his thanks and fingered the item he had been given. It was Anakin's light saber.

"He called me back here." Ferus said, almost whispered.

"They cuffed him and we couldn't cut them off, or they'd detonate." Tru explained.

"He just gave us Ferus and told us to take care of him. Then, he was gone."

Obi-wan fingered his padawan's ligtht saber lovingly, and gently placed it in his utility belt. He would give it back to his padawan, soon, he promised himself.

Chapter

"Was ferus captured alone?" Sorra asked quietly.'

Darra shook her head. "No. They rounded up other force sensitive beings, too. Then they put them on speeders and took them away. They were drugged, so they didn't remember the route."

"Has she come for other force sensitive beings?" Obi-wan asked curiously.

Darra nodded. "There was one raid since. We think she needs a steady stream of test subjects, since… most don't… they don't do well." Darra said, trying to avoid saying the world, _die_.

"When was her last raid?" Sorra asked.

"Our fifth day here. The test subjects last… at the most… three days…" Tru answered.

Sorra nodded. 'So we just need to follow the speeders when they raid again.'

"And have to know where they raid." Siri reminded them.

"So we break into patrols, then?" Ry-gual said quietly.

Siri nodded. 'That sounds reason able. Padawans, stay with a master all the time."

The padawans pared up with their masters, and they began to patrol.

Obi-wan's padawan was captured, so he would patrol alone.

With each step he took, he felt the absence of his padawan beside him, his talkativeness and laugh. The hollow, empty ache he felt was enough to drown him in sorrow and worry, but he wouldn't let that happen. Anakin needed him, now more than ever, and he wouldn't fail him.

What did worry him was the lack of contact with Anakin. No force signature, no tiny sparks of messages, nothing. Was his padawan alright?

And even then, possibly having to wait numerous days before Zan Arbor conducted another raid and they could follow her.

It tore up Obi-wan's insides like a wild animal.

He pushed away all emotion, knowing it would drown him, and then he would never be able to help his padawan. He walked alone, but still, each step was a struggle.

Chapter

Anakin was jerked roughly forward- he felt his malia bite open again, bleeding even more, but he didn't care. He would feign unconsciousness until he couldn't anymore.

Whatever Zan Arbor would do to him, he would comply. He needed his two hours of freedom.

He opened his eyes in a darkened chamber. He was hanging upside down.

Something odd was happening, he realized. He had no idea what.

He was injected with something odd. He didn't see its color, or what it was, but as soon as it entered his veins, he was paralyzed. He couldn't move at all, could hardly breath, even. He was stuck like a ridged rag doll, eyes closed, breathing ragged. He had no idea what was being done to him. He felt several needle pricks, then nothing, he just laid there. He heard the mechanical sounds of droids, the blood from his shoulder wound dripping onto the floor. He felt the blunt sensation of another needle piercing his skin. They were taking more blood, he was sure of it. Then the thing came.

Another needle prick. Zan Arbor must have taken plain blood samples from him while he was unconscious and done something to them, and found something interesting. Now she was going to test it on a living subject.

As soon as it entered his vines, he was cold. He started to sweat, and his stomach started to churn.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, against his ribcage.

He heard reports being given from droids. "Temperature rapidly dropping. Rapid increase in pule. Blood pressure slowing.'

He listened intently, but he was panicking inside. Was this really happening to him? He had no control whatsoever, and he felt strange. Finally, he realized why. No force was flowing around him. It seemed like inside her, he couldn't feel in. he realized he could do nothing and forced his thoughts to slow down and wait it out.

After an eternity, he was taken down and laid in a bed. An IV was placed in his arm, and he was injected. Slowly, he felt he could move again. He opened his eyes so see Zan Arbor grinning down at him.

"Magnificent.' She said quietly.

Anakin felt anything but magnificent. He felt weak and nauseas. But he didn't say so.

"Can I have my two hours now?" he forced his voice to be loud, though he was sure he could hardly walk. He was trembling.

"Yes." Zan Arbor had him quickly injected and he sat up. He was stronger, but he felt just as awful.

He swore to himself he'd observe more this time, so he could escape when the time came.

He staggered around, past the bizarre medical facility, and then found the ventilation shaft he had seen in the hall. He followed it down two levels, to where there was a small, cracked old level, and it was easy to see the facility had been built on top of it. He noticed Fungus growing through the old cracks, and the vast fungus forest beyond him. Then, inside the old cracked building, was the hanger. It had several transports and other things. Anakin node mental noes, but his knees buckled. He was growing weaker with each passing day. He crawled into the turbo lift and dragged himself to his feel, staggering back into his little force field prison an hour early and passing out cold.

Chapter

Anakin awoke on his own the next morning, after a blessedly long sleep.

The rat being watched him through the force field angrily.

"No tests today?" Anakin asked hopefully.

The Rat being, in response, stepped inside and began to beat him again.

By the time the rat left, Anakin was lying in a pool of his own blood on the floor. The first few scratches the rat being had given him during his first beating had healed, but now it was worse- much worse.

He had gashes down his legs, chest, and his arms, along with blotches of bruises. His malia bite looked as though a hunk of flesh had been ripped out of his shoulder and charred- and he could clearly see muscle and bone. He sighed and tried to slow the bleeding and stop the pain. He tried to call the force around him- it was barely a trickle. He wouldn't be surprised if he died within the next day or so. It would a sweet relief, as far as he was concerned.

What was he thinking! He jolted away from those awful, unthinking thoughts and tried to think clearly.

Zan Arbor hadn't seen him so far today. Was she capturing other test subjects? Would his master be here soon? He prayed he would be. He needed Obi-wan desperately, now more than ever.

Chapter

Obi-wan hurriedly rode the speeder he had been given down the space lanes, towards the coordinates where Zan Arbor had been conducting her raid.

He pushed the engine to its limits, and got there just in time to see the last captured being step on.

There was a moment's delay, and he hid in the shadows until the speeders started off, towards the facility, him speeding behind it, just out of sight. The facility was in the fungus forest, he realized, far below the mountain. He punched in his coordinates were they had found it and rode back up the mountain.

The padawans had abandoned the old cantina and come to live in the ship, in the hangar. He found them all there, waiting expectantly.

"Obi-wan showed tem the coordinates and gave them a brief description to the facility.

Sorra nodded. "Do you know where Anakin is being held?" she asked quietly.

Obi-wan shook his head. "No idea. Our best hope is to attack and see if we can find him. Once we're in the facility, I'll be able to sense him." He said quietly.

Sorra nodded. "When do we attack?" she asked quietly.

Obi-wan shrugged. "I honestly have no idea."

Siri stood. "Then why not now?"

Explosions rocked the facility, and Anakin quickly awoke from the first real sleep he had had in days.

Was he dreaming?

More explosions rocked the facility, and he realized he wasn't.

"Get the Jedi!" Zan arbor screamed from somewhere above.

A droid with a stun baton hurriedly opened the door and grabbed him.

As soon as the droid pulled him out of the cell, Anakin used the force to push him away and ran.

He force-jumped up to the grate, using all the strength he had on reserve to slide easily inside.

Zan arbor was screaming at the droid to follow him.

Anakin attempted to slowly climb down the shaft, but ended up falling two levels.

He landed hard and was dazed for a moment. Then he remembered the hanger- it was a crucial place to attack- his master would have to be there.

He kicked opened the grate and crawled free, to see the droid was waiting for him.

He had no light saber and was running out of strength. Where was his master?

He tried to force-push the droid away to find he couldn't. He felt the force fading from him, as his last bits of strength gave way.

He narrowly dodged a strike from the baton to his right but didn't land well, staggering and falling to his knees. The stun baton came down on him.

He noticed the fungus sprouting around him. He knew something about it- had learned about it, once. He didn't know what. In a last ditch effort, he quickly shoved some of it into his mouth and swallowed, feeling the odd taste of it make him want to gag.

The stun baton still came down on him, and he felt his limbs jerking around him crazily. He was starting to see spots. He forced himself to conceal his force signature.

He heard Zan Arbor scream, and everything was gone.

Sorra and ferus had launched an attack on the front of the facility, using thermal detonators to create a diversion, while Obi-wan, Darra, Tru, Siri, and Ry-gual were prepared to take the hanger. They raced from where they had parked there speeders, a few clicks away, towards the based. Obi-wan knew Zan Arbor would try to take Anakin with her.

He force jumped over a large fungus that was in his way and saw it all.

Zan Arbor was screaming from somewhere in the base. Anakin tried desperately to dodge a droid with a stun baton. His padawan fell, and Obi-wan raced towards them in horror, watching his padawan being shocked.

The droid withdrew his stun baton and Obi-wan felt the terror rise within him. Anakin's force signature was gone.

Zan Arbor screamed at the droid as she rushed towards the hanger. "I didn't tell you to kill him!" she screamed. The droid stood by, as though waiting for his master's wave of emotion to end. Zan Arbor saw him coming and ran for the hanger, shutting the door behind her. The droid brandished his stun baton, but Obi-wan easily sliced it in half.

He heard engines revving and saw a ship blasting away. But he didn't pursue her. He bent down besides Anakin.

His padawan was a mess of blood. He was filthy, and looked more like a hunk of half-eaten meat than the boy he had known.

Obi-wan checked his padawan's vitals, though he knew he was gone.

Darra and Tru, along with the other masters, stood behind him.

Obi-wan gently brushed the grime off Anakin's face. His skin was cold and clammy.

Obi-wan stared down at his padawan's dead body in disbelief. His padawan, Anakin, who had survived so many things and was never afraid to crack a joke.

Anakin's padawan braid trailed in the dirt beside him. His eyes were closed in a peaceful expression of acceptance, like he had done what he had wanted to do.

Obi-wan felt the unbelievable pain threaten to tear him apart. He felt a tear run down his face and quickly wiped it away.

He heard footsteps behind then and Sorra and ferus came to stand beside them. When Sorra saw Anakin, she gasped.

"He's gone.' Obi-wan said quietly.

He gently picked up his padawan's limp body and turned.

Tears were streaming down darra's face, and Tru's breathing was ragged, as though he was trying to hold back tears. Ferus looked utterly shocked. The faces of the masters were both shocked and grim.

Obi-wan was silent as they walked back towards the speeders. Ry-gual and Tru had decided to free the test subjects and inform them that the ship would arrive to take them to the city.

Obi-wan looked down at Anakin's body as he carried him towards the speeder.

Anakin had been there since he was a boy. After qui-gon had died, even before that, really, Obi-wan had built walls around himself, to not allow him to attach to anyone.

He knew it wasn't but he convinced himself it was detachment. The only one he was attached to was Qui-gon.

When qui-gon had died, he had been so grief-stricken that he had taken down his walls for a brief moment. He remembered Anakin crying when he told him, and seeing Anakin's tears had been enough to undo him. Anakin had hugged him and cried, and in that moment, Obi-wan had let himself become attached to the boy.

He held Anakin's body with one hand and piloted the speeder with the other, letting the shock and disbelief run through him.

He felt something else though. Anger. He hated Zan arbor, hated her with a passion, for what she had done to his companion. He wouldn't put out the fire of anger, though he knew he should. He let it course through him up until they reached the hanger and placed Anakin's body in a back room of the ship, laying him gently on the table.

He studied the expression on the boy's face. So peaceful, as though he had understood he would die from the moment he set out to save ferus. And Anakin had disliked ferus immensely. So why had he done it? Obi-wan had no idea.

Sorra, Siri, Darra, and ferus rode in on the two remaining speeders, and wordlessly, Siri started takeoff procedure.

Obi-wan contacted the temple to tell them Anakin was dead.

Yoda sounded surprised. Obi-wan told the story, and yoda sounded grim. 'Did what he had to, young skywalker did. Discuss this later, we will." He said quietly.

Obi-wan nodded. They would be ferrying the test subjects back to the city and dropping them in the hands of medical professionals.

Obi-wan turned to Siri. "I'll be in my quarters.' He said quietly.

Siri nodded. 'I am here if you need me." She said quietly.

Obi-wan nodded his thanks and retreated into his room. He knew the test subjects would be on soon. He heard them clamber aboard and exit the ship when they reached the city.

But he was removed from it all, it seemed.

Finally, the test subjects were taken care of, and the ship took off, headed back towards Courasant. It would take days to reach it with the ship in its present condition. Anakin could fix it… Obi-wan felt a pang and crawled under his blankets.

He didn't understand it at all. He tried not to let grief drown him and to focus- Anakin had become one with the force. They entered hyperspace, and obi-wan felt everything seem to crumble around him.

He wished he could retreat to a place where there were no thoughts, no ideas. He could sleep, but he was afraid of the dreams he would have.

His thoughts continued to reel.

The first thing that came back to Anakin was rational thought. Then breathing. Then sight. He could open his eyes and blink, but he was paralyzed.

He panicked for a moment, seeing he was alone in a small room, paralyzed.

Where was Obi-wan?

Then he remembered. Tobago. He had eaten the fungus. He still had some in his hand. He looked down at his fist, moving his eyes, willing it to uncurl. It didn't obey.

He knew what he had eaten, though. Xagobah fungus. For all intensive purposes, it mimicked death. So he had eaten it, knowing it might help him.

His mind still felt fuzzy.

Slowly, feeling came back to him.

First it was pain. The pain all over him, from numerous cuts, wounds, bites, gashes.

Then the feeling in his finger tips and toes came back, a burning sensation. Slowly, it all came back, his legs, arms, chest, and head. Everything could move.

Shakily, he sat up and almost vomited.

Nausea. It came rolling over him in violent waves now, so much so that he had to swallow the acid in his throat.

He took a few deep breaths and staggered into the hall. He needed his master.

Silently, leaning against the wall, he made it to the bridge.

He took a few shaking steps onto the bridge and looked around. It seemed as though everyone had their backs to him. They were all silent, as if sad. Darra was only feet from him, staring at the wall almost unseeingly.

"Hi.' He said hoarsely.

The effect that one word had was enormous. He startled Darra, who whirled around and backhanded him.

Sorra jumped, and everyone's head seemed to turn in his direction.

Anakin staggered back from the blow Darra had given him. His nose was bleeding.

He leaned against the wall for a minute, then spoke.

"Have you seen my master?" he asked hoarsely.

This seemed to bring everyone from there trance.

Ry-gual rushed forward and checked his vitals. Siri went for the med kit. Darra looked horrified that she had hit him and started apologizing hurriedly- ferus and Tru both hurried over to look at him.

Sorra took a few strides over and stared. Everyone seemed to be staring at him.

"How did you do it?" ry-gual asked, clearly amazed.

Anakin was dizzy again. He shook his head. 'I'll explain later.' He said quietly. "I need to see my master.'

"He's in his quarters." Siri said. "But we should treat you first-" she started. The look in Anakin's eyes, almost pleading, stopped her. 'I _need _Obi-wan.' Anakin almost begged.

Siri nodded numbly, and Anakin staggered down the hall towards his master's quarters.

He didn't both knocking- he was ready to black out. But he needed to see his master. Obi-wan was always there- Obi-wan would make it alright.

"Master?" he staggered into the dark room and almost fell.

Obi-wan jumped, seemingly three feet, and stared.

"Anakin?" Obi-wan asked, almost disbelievingly.

"Obi-wan-" Anakin was almost pleading now, and Obi-wan saw his padawan was swaying slightly.

He hurried forward and allowed his padawan to lean his full weight on him, helping him stagger back to the small room where he had been laid out, thought to be dead.

Ry-Gual entered a moment later with the med kit, and a painkiller shot.

Anakin was laying docile now, eyes closed, calmed that obi-wan was near.

When he felt the needle in his skin, he pulled away so violently the needle ripped into his arm.

'No!" Anakin said breathlessly. "No drugs!"

Ry-Gual shot Obi-wan a concerned look.

Obi-wan gently placed a calming hand on his padawan's arm.

'It won't hurt you, Anakin." Obi-wan tried to assure him.

There was terror in Anakin's eyes. "No!" he stared at Obi-wan almost hysterical now. "That's what she said! It hurt, Obi-wan! It always hurt. You don't know what it's like to watch you die so many times!" A tear ran down Anakin's cheek, and Obi-wan knew just how deeply Zan Arbor had scared his padawan.

"I will not let him hurt you, Anakin. It'll help. I promise."

Anakin still looked scared.

"You do it." Anakin said.

Ry-Gual handed him the needle. Obi-wan gently injected his padawan with the sedative.

"Better?' obi-wan asked.

Anakin's eyes closed. "Yes." He said quietly.

"Can you feel anything?" Obi-wan asked. Anakin shook his head. "No…"

"We're going to clean your wounds, now." Obi-wan said gently.

Ry-gual gave Obi-wan a pair of sterile gloves, and gently removed Anakin's tunic.

Obi-wan started by administering bacta to the shoulder wound that Anakin had. Ry-gual checked for breaks and concussions.

"Careful of his ribs." Ry-gual informed him. "Some are broken.'

Obi-wan nodded, his brow knit together.

He watched his padawan breath.

The breath was short and labored, and he knew his padawan's ribs were broken.

He washed Anakin's face with a wet cloth, and gently treated a scratch across his face.

He then worked on his padawan's side. The flesh hung in ragged strips in some places, where claws had dug in. It was a rough job with cleaning, and he gently propped his padawan up and bandaged around him.

His padawan's eyes fluttered open.

"Can you feel anything?" Obi-wan asked, a bit worriedly. Anakin shook his head and closed his eyes.

Obi-wan went back to treating wounds.

His padawan's arms and torso were cut and covered with bruises. He shot a glance down at his legs, which were also torn up and bruised.

It took at least an hour to treat every wound.

Obi-wan sat down beside his padawan, looking at him as he slept peacefully under the sedative.

He gently dressed his padawan in a clean tunic and covered him with a blanket.

Anakin cried out in his sleep, and Obi-wan gently touched his padawan's hand. Anakin quieted.

His padawan gently woke up three hours later, in the middle of the night.

He tried to sit up.

"Obi-wan?" Anakin asked.

"Are you alright?" Obi-wan asked.

Anakin coughed heavily, his chest rattling. He moaned. He coughed again, and blood spattered his arm.

Obi-wan quickly wiped the blood off with a piece of gauze and felt his forehead. He was hot.

"Do you need water?" Obi-wan asked quietly.

Anakin shook his head slowly. 'Obi-wan." He said quietly. "Look out for the malia." His padawan closed his eyes and Obi-wan promised he would, though it bewildered him. His padawan had been neglected for so long and on such a level, he had an excuse to be delusional, though.

Obi-wan gently fell asleep in the chair beside his padawan.

Anakin awoke more alert than the night before.

Obi-wan watched his padawan's eyes come alive with the light he was so used to, and the force gather around him.

"Obi-wan?" Anakin's voice was much stronger than yesterday.

"What happened?"

Obi-wan honestly didn't know most of what had happened, but he answered. "We rescued you from Zan-Arbor." He said quietly.

Anakin sat up slowly, drawing his blanket tighter around him. He shuddered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" obi-wan asked.

Anakin had paled at Zan Arbor's name, but he nodded.

"It… it hurt. She gave me drugs… so many drugs… I can't remember them all. But I remember having spasms uncontrollably, vomiting, burning, freezing, hallucinating. I watched you die so many times, master…" Anakin said, clearly terrified.

"It's alright, Anakin." Obi-wan assured him, feeling his padawan's forehead, though he already knew he was feverish. His padawan needed human closeness more than anything.

Anakin took a shaking breath and continued. "She made it so cold- wouldn't let me use the force- I was freezing. Then they took a blood sample and let me use the force- and took more blood. Then they made it really, really hot. I felt like I was dying. Then she took more blood."

Anakin was trembling violently.

"It's alright, Anakin.

Obi-wan placed his arm around his padawan and Anakin leaned into him, shaking less violently.

"She pitted me against lion creatures without the force. Before I died, she tranquilized them. Then I knew she wanted me to fight something with the force. They…. They were malia…." Anakin said.

"Only with the force?" Obi-wan looked astonished.

Anakin nodded. He indicated his shoulder. "One of them bit me, but I made it."

"Then she tested the force and shocks and stuff, and she told me to try to stay conscious, but I didn't and she would give me something if I cooperated. I wanted two hours to walk around each day, and when I wouldn't take anything else they beat me, again."

"Again?" Obi-wan asked.

Anakin nodded. 'They had a rat creature that beat me when I didn't obey. Then they tried the shocks again, and I fell unconscious again on purpose. Then Zan arbor said she'd give me medical care if I cooperated, but I eventually got my two hours to look around."

"You traded up medical care for two hours to look around?" Obi-wan asked. Anakin nodded. 'A day. But then I the worst day came. They hung me upside down and paralyzed me, took blood, and injected me with odd stuff. They said my heart rate was going up, and a bunch of stuff about my blood pressure. That was the last day. The next day the rat beat me, and then you came. I fell down a ventilation shaft trying to escape and ate Xagobah fungus to make them think I was dead. Then I woke up, and you were gone.' Anakin said. He had started shaking again.

"I'm sorry I left you, padawan.' Obi-wan said quietly. "I thought you were dead. I was trying to sort out my feelings."

Anakin nodded shakily. "It's okay.' He said. "I'm just glad it's over.'

Obi-wan nodded. He knew his padawan had only summarized the horrors he had been through with Zan arbor.

"How do you feel?" obi-wan asked quietly.

"Tired." Anakin said. He settled down onto the pillow.

"Are you hungry?" Obi-wan asked

Anakin shook his head. "Nauseas, actually."

"Are you going to be sick?" obi-wan asked.

Anakin shook his head. "Nope. I honestly just want to sleep…."

"Go ahead." Obi-wan urged his padawan, tucking the blanket around him. Anakin's eyes were closed within a matter of minutes, and his breathing had slowed.

But Obi-wan's worry was still evident.

Anakin had just said two things he never said.

He said he was tired, and he never admitted it. The same with nausea. Anakin never admitted when he didn't feel well, but he had now. He had said he just wanted to sleep.

Obi-wan decided it was the best thing for his padawan to do now, anyways. He had been traumatized by an evil scientist, after all, physically and mentally, so it seemed the best thing for him now.

Obi-wan sensed Siri watching him. She sat down beside him, looking worriedly at Anakin.

"How is he?' she asked quietly.

Obi-wan shook his head. "Very torn up, feverish, and exhausted. He said she drugged him and shocked him numerous times, as well as beatings."

"Ferus said they shocked him, too." Siri said.

Obi-wan looked surprised for a moment. "How is ferus?" he asked quietly. "I'm sorry, siri, I completely forgot about him." Obi-wan said, lowering his gaze.

He felt Siri's hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. You had every right to, with all that's happened lately."

Obi-wan nodded and thanked his friend with his gaze for forgiving him.

"How are the others?" he asked.

Siri shrugged. "Ferus feeling forever indebted to Anakin, Darra feels awful because she backhanded Anakin when he startled her, Tru is amazed he's alive and- well, I think we're all in shock." Siri said honestly.

Obi-wan nodded.

In his sleep, Anakin coughed up more blood, and Obi-wan quickly wiped it off his face.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Siri asked.

Obi-wan nodded. "Yes, eventually. Whatever Zan arbor did to him, it was enough."

Siri nodded and stood.

"I should be on the bridge, fixing the hyper drive." She said.

Anakin stirred, even in his sleep, at the mention of the mechanical part.

Obi-wan smiled and nodded to his friend, and she left.

Painkillers, Obi-wan found, had a side effect of drowsiness. To a person as weak as Anakin, painkillers almost threw him into a constant coma. It worried Obi-wan that his padawan had little time to eat and drink in his waking hours, but all in all, rest was probably the best thing for him.

Siri had a major breakthrough with the hyper drive and then, Anakin awoke long enough to ask about some other upgrade, which would get them to Courasant in two days.

Anakin finally convinced Obi-wan to let him walk onto the bridge.

He nodded to Ferus, and seemed unbothered that almost all the masters turned around at one point to see the gashes on his face scabbing over, and the bruises on his arms growing lighter.

He instantly started talking with Tru about some new speeder model. Darra hung back, as if unsure she should talk to the boy she had backhanded when he almost came back from the dead.

Suddenly, Anakin spoke.

"Darra?" he asked. Gingerly, Darra stepped forward.

"If it were you that had come back, I probably would have backhanded you too." He assured her.

Darra smiled with relief and sat down beside the two, and Anakin's face broke into a grin. He had figured out how to calm Darra's worry.

Ferus cautiously approached next, and sat down in the circle.

Anakin smiled at him.

"How're you doing, Ferus?" he asked.

Ferus shrugged. "I'm grateful to you, Anakin." He said quietly.

Anakin brushed him off. "I didn't come soon enough.' He said. "I saw it all in a dream, ferus. The, _let's see how shocks affect the force_ thing.'

Ferus nodded. He had paled slightly.

"What did she do to you?" he asked quietly.

Anakin tried to shrug and winced at his malia bite. Then he tried to answer casually. "Oh, nothing much. She did the shock thing, so many drugs, extreme temperature changes, cold, hot, pitted me against lion creatures without the force, then made me fight malia with the force, hung me upside down and did I don't know what…." Anakin stopped to take a breath. 'And then the rat thing beat me up a lot."

Ferus visibly shuddered. "I disliked that immensely." He said.

Anakin nodded. "Tell me about it." He said.

Ferus, despite his episode with Zan Arbor, looked much better already.

At the reconcile with one another, Anakin and ferus paled at the thoughts of what the other had endured.

Darra and Tru were looking disturbed, watching there fellows talk.

"The food there was great." Anakin tried to joke.

Ferus smiled slightly. "Yeah, but I hardly kept it down."

Anakin nodded. "Seemed like it came up more than down.' He remarked.

Thought the padawans didn't know it, all the masters were listening in on hem. Sorra had paled, and ry-gual was looking unnerved.

Obi-wan had already been unnerved by what his padawan had told him. He was past that stage now, looking towards his padawan for stages of physical and mental healing.

He was seeing signs more of the latter from his padawan, since his physical injuries were too numerous to try to think about.

"Courasant in half an hour." Siri announced. Both Ferus and Anakin looked more relieved than anything.

Finally, Ferus spoke. "Did you get a good look around the facility?" he asked quietly.

Anakin nodded. "Yes. I bargained enough to have two hours a day to walk around the facility."

"You could walk after all that?" Ferus asked, sounding surprised. Anakin smiled slightly. "Yes.' He said. "She had bizarre medical equipment all in one room, what looked like an empty bacta tank, and in the upper levels it was mostly office space. There was a ventilation shaft down the lower hanger, and I fell down that when I heard the explosions and tried to find my master."

"There was a lot of Xagobah fungus growing on the ground by the hanger.' Anakin said finally. "I ate it when the droid was shocking me, since I knew if I was dead Zan Arbor would be more likely to leave me."

Ferus nodded, clearly impressed.

Anakin was looking tired, Obi-wan noted but his padawan would go and rest when he truly needed it.

"Did a malia really bite you?' Darra asked quietly.

Anakin nodded slowly.

"Would you tell us about it?" Tru asked, a bit curious.

Anakin visibly recoiled. His breathing quickened and he pulled away, shaking his head vigorously. "No." he said quietly.

Ferus answered for him after that. "He's lived it once, Tru." Ferus said. "He doesn't want to go back. I don't want to go back to that place, even in my mind, either."

Anakin relaxed slightly, seeing that ferus wouldn't allow him to say anything further.

"Thanks." He said quietly to ferus.

Obi-wan noted that Anakin and ferus seemed to be growing closer. He hoped it would last. He also hoped his padawan would stop recoiling at the thought of describing things that had happened to him, because he knew the council would want a full report.

They had started the descent through the atmosphere of Courasant now, and Anakin silently watched it all through the view screen, ferus beside him.

Anakin looked up for a moment, remembering something. "Master? Did you call to tell the temple I'm not dead?" he asked.

Obi-wan nodded and smiled slightly. 'Yes, Anakin, I did.' He said.

Anakin nodded and smiled, visibly relaxing.

Chapter

Anakin was given a fdull, proper medical exam at the temple. Obi-wan studied the long report, asmazed. Three broken ribs, electricity burns, concussion, severe exhaustion, malnutrition, sever lacerations to the side, malia bite to the shoulder, fractured tibia, broken wrist, concussion, and sisty three sitiches.


End file.
